Shelf support kit

ABSTRACT

A shelf support kit for the installation of shelves in any semienclosed area having two sidewalls and a bottom member, such as an alcove or closet. The bottom member, substantially perpendicular to both sidewalls, may be the flooring, or a previously installed shelf. Essentially an inverted &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;U&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;, the shelf support provides a rigid shelf construction without requiring the use of tools and/or fasteners, and yet can be temporary if desired. The shelf and support can be easily dismantled without danger of marring or otherwise disfiguring either the sidewalls or the bottom member.

United States Patent Charles C. Bloom lnventor 919 Patten Drive,Palatine, 111. 60067 Appl. No. 846,660 Filed Aug. 1, 1969 Patented Oct.12, 1971 SHELF SUPPORT KIT 7 2 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 312/245, 312/270 312/351 Int. Cl.. 4711 67/02, A47f 5/08, A471)88/00 Field of Search 3 12/242, 245, 243, 257, 270, 338, 351; 248/121,163, 165; 21 1/134, 148

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,325,769 6/1967 Travis 339/ 17 FX 2,700,584 1/1955 Hobbs 248/ l 88 UX 2,820,687 1/1958 Waring. 312/245 X3,331,646 7/1967 Peters 312/270 3,416,670 12/1968 Turner 312/341 XPrimary ExaminerPaul R. Gilliam AttorneyRobert W. Erickson ABSTRACT: Ashelf support kit for the installation of shelves in any semienclosedarea having two sidewalls and a bottom member, such as an alcove orcloset. The bottom member, substantially perpendicular to bothsidewalls, may be the flooring, or a previously installed shelf.Essentially an inverted U, the shelf support provides a rigid shelfconstruction without requiring the use of tools and/or fasteners, andyet can be temporary if desired. The shelf and support can be easilydismantled without danger of marring or otherwise disfiguring either thesidewalls or the bottom member.

SHELFSUPPORT KIT APPLICABILITY OF INVENTION member may be the closetflooring or a previously installed closet shelf; where the semienclosedarea is an alcove, the bottom member may be the flooring. As will benoted from the more detailed description hereinafter set forth, thesupport kit of my invention permits installation without the use oftools and/or fasteners such as bolts, nails, screws, molly anchors, etc.Although of a quasi-temporary nature, the shelf support kit of myinvention provides the necessary degree of rigidity and stabilityrequired of permanent shelves. Yet, the shelf and support may bedismantled and reused in another location, without the need for tools,and, of considerable importance, without efiecting disfigurement of thesidewalls, the floor or the shelf.

l-leretofore, the installation of either additional shelving, or theconstruction and/or installation of shelving in a closet, alcove orother semienclosed area, required the use of a variety of tools andfasteners, and was either a tedious, complicated task for a layman, orrequired the employment of a skilled artisan. Through the use of thesupport kit of my invention, the need for tools and fasteners iseliminated, and no special skills are required; the latter offers anobvious economical advantage. Additional closet shelves may easily bereadily installed by housewives, students,and others who heretoforebelieved they lacked sufficient tools, technique, know-how and evenbuilding management permission to install shelving. Furthermore, ashereinafter indicated in greater detail, the support kit is designed toprovide an unusual degree of rigidity and stability, notwithstandingthat it is easily dismantled for reuse in another location.Additionally, the design of the shelf support kit facilitates economicalmanufacture and provides for readily packaged components which aidsmarketing and distribution of the kit.

PRIOR ART Although it is believed that the present invention affords adistinct advance in this area of the art, it must be recognized thatshelf brackets and shelf supports are not per se novel. Perhaps the mostsimple example of a common shelf support is the triangular bracketswhich are found in any hardware and/or notions store. These aregenerally purchased in pairs, often complete with mounting screws, andof a strength and dimension to accommodate virtually any size shelf. Inorder to install a shelf, using these triangular brackets, it isnecessary either to locate the wall studs and drill holes, or to useplastic or wood inserts which expand into the wall material when themounting screws are inserted therein. In either event, care must beexercised to insure that the brackets are placed on the wall such thatthe horizontal support members are in a lane parallel to the plane ofthe floor; this requires the use of a level, in addition to a drill andother tools. Further, the wall holding the brackets will be marred byscrew holes should the shelf be removed.

Auxiliary shelf supports are described in US. Pat. No. 2,726,772 (Cl. 21l-l48), and consist of brackets which are insertable next to an end walland into the floor. In order to make use of these brackets holes orcloset must be supplied in the floor in order to receive an extendingtab which permits laterally formed projections to rest on the floor. Notonly are these brackets difficult to install properly, but removalthereof exposes the holes in the flooring.

U.S. Pats. Nos. 2,906,487 (Cl. 248-248) and 3,265,456 (Cl. 312-350) bothdescribe the well-known tongue and groove type brackets prominently usedfor medicine cabinet shelving. It is immediately recognized that even ifthese were to be adapted to closets and other semienclosed areas, properinstallation by other than a highly trained artisan is virtually-OBJECTS AND EMBODIMENTS A principal object of my invention is to providea support kit for effecting the installation of shelving in asemienclosed area. A corollary objective is to afford a kit forinstalling shelf supports or brackets, without the necessity for toolsand/or fasteners.

Another object resides in providing stable and rigid shelf constructionwhich, whether used temporarily, or for an extended period, can beremoved without disfiguring either the walls or the shelves.

Still another object is to provide a shelf support kit of easilypackaged components to facilitate product marketability.

Therefore, in one. embodiment my invention provides a shelf support kit,for the addition of a shelf to a semienclosed area, which support kitcomprises: (a) lengths of rotated T- sections, the stems of which lie ina horizontal plane and the flanges of which lie in a vertical plane,said stems forming ledges capable of receiving the edge of a shelf, theunderside of said flanges being enlarged at both ends below the plane ofsaid stem, the enlargements adapted to provide female openings; and, (b)vertical support members substantially flat on at least one side, oneend of which is reduced in size to'provide male projectionsapproximating the size and shape of said female openings, and positionedsuch that a flat side of each verticalsupport member exists in coplanarrelation with the outer surface of said flanges when the maleprojections of said vertical supports are mated to the female openingsof said T- sections.

Another embodiment relates to a combination of (l). a

semienclosed area having two sidewalls and a bottom member substantiallyperpendicular to said sidewalls and connected proximating the size andshape of said female openings, andpositioned such that a flat side ofsaid vertical support members exists in coplanar relation with the outersurface of said flanges when the male projections of said verticalsupports are mated to the female openings of said T-sections, the flatside of said mated vertical support members and the outer surface of theflanges of said T-sections in upright contact with said sidewalls, andthe bottom ends of said vertical support members in contact with saidperpendicular bottom member; and,

(3) a shelf resting on said ledges and, along its width, abutting saidflanges above the plane of said stems.

Other objects and embodiments involve preferred modes and materials ofconstruction of the shelf support kit, and will become evident from thefollowing detailed description. For example, a preferred constructioninvolves enlarging the underside of the flanges to the extent ofproviding more than one female opening at each end of the rotatingT-sections. This embodiment permits the installation of shelves havingvarious widths.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION The shelf support kit of the present inventionprovides at least a pair of rigid, substantially rectangular structuresin the form of an inverted U. It is understood that the kit is notlimited to "pairs of support members, and can include at least a thirdinverted U" structure to be utilized in supporting an exceptionally longshelf at the backwall edge thereof. Es sentially, the invertedU-supporting structures consist of at least three main pieces, at leasttwo vertical support members forming parallel sides and supporting alength of a horizontal, rotated T-section. The T-section thus connectsthe vertical support members and closes the invertedU." As hereinafterexplained in describing the accompanying drawing in detail, the stem ofthe T" lies in a horizontal plane and extends inwardly towards theopposite sidewall, while the outer surface of the flange of the T liesin a vertical, coplanar relationship with the flat side of the verticalsupport members; the T becoming a crosspiece with said support membersto complete the inverted U-structure. The term lengths of," whenreferring to the rotated T-sections, is employed in order to avoidplacing an unnecessary limitation on the present invention. If the morecommonly used tenn elongated were utilized, it would be implied that thestem of the T had to be longer than the flange thereof, since anelongated T connotes, in the art, one in which the stem is severalorders of magnitude longer than the flange. It is understood that therespective lengths of the flange and stem are not limiting on thepresent invention. Stems of a length sufficient to receive and support ashelf element will be suitable.

One each of the assembled inverted U-structures is placed against eachof the sidewalls of the semienclosed area, the flat side of the verticalsupport members and outer surface of the flanges being in uprightcontact with said sidewalls, the stems forming ledges which are capableof receiving the end edges of a shelf or shelf members. The shelf is ofa length such that the upwardly projecting flange portions of theT-sections are snugly held between the shelf edges and the sidewalls.The shelf, resting on the ledges, is supported by the vertical supportmembers, the opposite ends of which may rest either on the flooring, oron a previously installed shelf. As a result of the substantiallyrectangular configuration of the inverted U- supports, rotation of theshelf about a parallel axis is restrained and thus prevented. Likewise,and an essential feature of my invention, the horizontal supportingmember takes the form of a rotated T, rather than, for example, aninverted L, in order than an upwardly projecting flange portion isavailable to be held between the shelf and the sidewall. This featureprevents rotation of the inverted U" perpendicular to the shelf, and isone of the features which permits rigid, stable installation without theuse of fasteners of any type.

The underside portions of the flanges, below the plane of the stems, areenlarged at both ends and adapted to provide one or more femaleopenings. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the underside isdiscontinuously enlarged to provide multiple female openings at each endand the flanges are scored" to provide guide marks such that the overalllength of the T-section can be shortened in order to become adaptable,for appearance and aesthetic purposes, to accommodate a narrower shelfelement. Similarly, the stems can be scored intermediate the femaleopenings, and in coplanar relation with the flange scorings, therebyproviding an additional guide for shortening the T-sections.

The vertical support members are substantially flat on one side, andreduced in size at one end to provide male projections which approximatethe size and shape of the female openings in the underside of theflanges. Between the vertical support members and the horizontal rotatedT-section there exists, therefore, a female/male slip-type constructionjoint, not unlike, but not necessarily identical to a mortise and tenon,since there is no requirement for square or rectangular constructioni.e.oval or elliptical shapes are suitable. How ever, an essentialrequirement is that the axis of the female opening (and thus the maleprojection) which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the T-sectionis greater than the axis of the opening which is perpendicular thereto.The inverted U" is assembled by simply mating the male projections andfemale openings, providing rigidity without the aid of glue or otherfastening means such as screws, nails, etc. Advantages include unitconstruction of the shelf support elements in mass production,economical manufacture, simplified packaging and distribution formarketing.

The shelf support kit encompassed by my invention will be clearlyunderstood upon reference to the accompanying drawing in which sixFIGURES are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES The six FIGURES illustrated in theaccompanying drawing are herein briefly described.

FIG. 1 is a partial isometric view with partial sectioning of walls andshelving showing the assembled support kit and the manner in which thesame supports an additional shelf in a closet. One sidewall has beenomitted in order to illustrate the reverse side of the inverted U.

FIG. 2 represents a plan view of one of the assembled invertedU-structures.

FIG. 3 is a partial back view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 withthe vertical support member eliminated.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of an assembled inverted U-struc ture.

FIG. 5 constitutes a front elevation of an assembled invertedU-structure.

FIG. 6 is an exploded partial isometric view of one end of a rotatedT-section and one of the vertical support members, and details apreferred construction of the T-section and vertical support to supplythe female/male joint for easy assembly and dismantling.

Further particulars are presented in the following more detaileddescription of the accompanying drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING With reference now to the drawing, FIG. 1illustrates, in a partial isometric view with partial sectioning, theinterior of a closet having a previously installed shelf 10perpendicular and attached to sidewall 11. The second, or right-handsidewall hasbeen eliminated for convenience in illustrating theconstruction of the inverted U-members. Since the FIGURE illustrates theinstallation of an additional closet shelf, backwall 12 is shown withpartial sectioning. It is understood, however, that backwall 12 is notan essential element of my invention since the semienclosed area can bean alcove, in which case, the bottom member, shelf 10, may be theflooring. Each inverted U-support comprises at least three components, arotated T-section l3 and two vertical support members 14. Forexceptionally wide shelves-Le. greater than l2"the rotated T-section canbe adapted, as hereinafter indicated, to receive additional verticalsupport members 14. The vertical support members are recessed at 15, theflat side thereof which contacts the sidewalls 11, thus providingeconomy with respect to minimizing material and the overall weight ofthe shelf support kit, yet providing a substantial structural supportsection.

At each end of the rotated T-sections l3 and below the plane of the stem18 thereof, the underside 17a of the flange 17 is enlarged at 21, andthe enlargement is adapted to provide a female opening 20. A preferredconstruction of the T- section 13 is shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is an exploded partial isometric view of one end of rotatedT-section l3 and one of the vertical support members 14 having the backside recessed as shown at 15. As indicated, the underside of flange 17is enlarged, below the plane of stem 18, the enlargements 21 adapted toprovide multiple female openings 20. Openings 20 are similar tomortises," but are not necessarily identical therewith. A mortise isdefined as a rectangular opening, and while openings 20 may besubstantially rectangular as illustrated, they may also be oval,elliptical, etc. However, it is important that the axis of opening 20which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of T-section 13 be greaterthan the axis of the opening which is perpendicular thereto.

Vertical support members 14 are reduced in size at one end to provide amale projection 19. The projection is of the same size and shape ofopening 20 in order to provide a tight fit when the T-section l3 andvertical support 14 are mated. Projections l9 and openings 20 arepositioned such that the flat side of the vertical support 14 exists incoplanar relation with the outer surface of flange 17.

FIG. 6 further illustrates another embodiment in which the underside offlange 17 is discontinuously enlarged to provide the multiple individualopenings 20, and the stem 18 is scored at 23 intermediate theenlargements 21. The scoring permits the user to readily adapt the shelfsupport to a narrower shelf or shelf elements of desired width in acommercially available size including 1 inch x 4 inches, 1 inch X 6inches, 1 inch X 8 inches, 1 inch X 10 inches, etc. Web reinforcements,or a continuous filet not illustrated, such as that at 22, may beprovided at the underside of stem 18 along the length thereof in I orderto reinforce the ledge formed by stem 18 and the upper section of flange17. Additional openings in enlargements may be provided intermediate theends of flange 17 such that additional vertical support members may beadapted thereto to support unusually wide shelf elements.

When male projections 19 and female openings 20 are mated, the assemblyforms a rigid inverted U. The plane of the outer surface of flange 13and vertical support members 14 is positioned flush with sidewalls 11 asshown in FIG. 1. The T-sections are, of course, elevated above thebottom member 10, and the bottom ends of vertical support members 13rest thereupon. Shelf l6 rests, at each end edge thereof, on the ledgeformed by stem 18, and abuts said flanges above the plane of said stern.This restrains the bottom ends of vertical supports 14 from slippinginwardly and dislodging the edge from support shelf 16 as would be therisk if the ledge were merely formed as an inverted L. Although shelf 16is illustrated as being installed without contacting backwall 12, whichin some situations may be desired, a preferred arrangement is effectedwhen the inside edge of shelf 16 makes contact with backwall 12. Withrespect to the outer surface of flange 17 which contacts the sidewallnot illustrated, it will be noted that flange is also scored at 23.Thus, another preferred embodiment involves scoring both flange 17 andstem 18, said scoring intermediate the enlargements 21, in preparing theguide line for shortening the ledge to fit a narrower shelf. The flangescoring is perpendicular and in coplanar relation with the stem scoring.

A plan view of an assembled inverted U-structure is presented in FIG. 2,showing that the underside of flange 17 is discontinuously enlarged toprovide multiple enlargements 21 containing female openings 20. Verticalsupports 14 are mated to T-section 13 via openings 20 at the extremeenlargement at each end. Also indicated are score marks 23, in this casealong the outer surface of flange l7 and the underside of stem 18. Webs22 are indicated as being distributed along the length of stem 18.

FIG. 3 is a partial back view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 withthe vertical support member 14 eliminated. The flange 17 score mark 23is indicated as being perpendicular, and intermediate the enlargementsand openings 20.

FIG. 4 constitutes a side elevation of an assembled inverted U-structureshowing the coplanar relationship of the flat side of vertical supportmember 14 with the outer surface of flange 17. It also indicates thatwebs 22 may be used as reinforcements for stem 18 either at the junctionwith enlargement 21, or with the inner face of flange 17.

A front elevation of an assembled inverted U-structure is shown in FIG.5. It should be noted that the webs 22 can extend from stem 18 theentire width of the underside 17a of flange 17, or only partially thewidth (as shown at enlargements 2]).

A length of suitable-sized board, or several various sized boards, arecut to fit on stems 18 of the opposite facing inverted U-structures. Asnug flt for shelf 16 is recommended,

but not as a necessit so that the upwardly extendinfg }portion of flange17 IS secure y held between the end edges 0 t e shelf and the sidewalls.The shelf 16 should not, however, be jammed into position on the ledges,and a tolerance in shelf length of from one sixty-fourth inch toone-fourth inch, preferably one'eighth inch is recommended.

The elements of the shelf support kit may be fabricated from anysuitable material having sufficient strength to support a shelf and itscontents, and may be made from such diverse materials as wood, plastics,light metals including aluminum and magnesium, etc. Preferred materialsfrom a weight and economic standpoint are plastics and aluminum.

The foregoing specification, and especially the drawing, is believed toindicate clearly the method of constructing and installing the shelfsupport kit of the present invention, and the benefits to be affordedthrough the utilization thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. A shelf support kit, for the addition of a shelf to a semienclosedarea, which comprises:

a. lengths of rotated T-sections, the stems of which lie in a horizontalplane and the flanges of which line in a vertical plane, said stemsforming ledges capable of receiving the edge of a shelf, the undersideof said flanges being discontinuously enlarged below the plane of saidstem to provide multiple female openings; and,

b. vertical support members substantially flat on at least one side, oneend of which is reduced in size to provide male projectionsapproximating the size and shape of said female openings, and positionedsuch that a flat side of each vertical support member exists in coplanarrelation with the outer surface of said flanges when the maleprojections are mated to the female openings of said T-sections; saidshelf support kit further characterized in that said flanges are scoredat a locus intermediate the enlargements thereof.

2. The shelf support kit of claim I further characterized in that saidstem is scored at a locus intermediate said enlargements, and incoplanar relation with said flange scoring.

1. A shelf support kit, for the addition of a shelf to a semienclosedarea, which comprises: a. lengths of rotated T-sections, the stems ofwhich lie in a horizontal plane and the flanges of which line in avertical plane, said stems forming ledges capable of receiving the edgeof a shelf, the underside of said flanges being discontinuously enlargedbelow the plane of said stem to provide multiple female openings; and,b. vertical support members substantially flat on at least one side, oneend of which is reduced in size to provide male projectionsapproximating the size and shape of said female openings, and positionedsuch that a flat side of each vertical support member exists in coplanarrelation with the outer surface of said flanges when the maleprojections are mated to the female openings of said T-sections; saidshelf support kit further characterized in that said flanges are scoredat a locus intermediate the enlargements thereof.
 2. The shelf supportkit Of claim 1 further characterized in that said stem is scored at alocus intermediate said enlargements, and in coplanar relation with saidflange scoring.